THE TROUBLE WITH PRESS CONFERENCES
by Ballyuk
Summary: Lois and Clark are at City Hall to cover an announcement on infrastructure improvements in Metropolis, but she is struggling with the tedium. Set before 8x04 (Instinct), and based on one of her comments in 8x07 (Identity).


Author's Note: I do not own the characters.

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 **THE TROUBLE WITH PRESS CONFERENCES.**

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The little auditorium at City Hall was no more than half full. As was the norm with City Hall announcements, there was only a smattering of reporters there to cover the story. They were usually outnumbered by local authority officials, and the voices of the speakers at the table down the front echoed around the space in a peculiarly numbing drone, made even worse if the Mayor's own press secretary was doing the speaking. He seemed totally oblivious to how monotonous he sounded, and he tended to use 100 words where 10 would suffice. He was a man who was all about expounding facts, never engaging in friendly chit-chat with friends amongst the press corps, and completely humourless. All in all, it was hard to stay awake at these events. Unfortunately, it was Mr Tedious himself conducting proceedings this morning.

Lois had covered a number of these conferences for the Daily Planet previously, and it was considered to be a rite of passage for reporters down in the bullpen. They were being made to earn their chance to cover the big stories by covering the mundane stuff first. After her second such assignment, Lois had taken to bringing a recorder along and placing it on the front table to catch the details instead of forcing herself to listen out for them while hastily scribbling notes. Gradually, she had learned that there really wasn't much to miss as the eventual articles were basic filler for the newspaper. Only occasionally did she find it necessary to ask questions, and it seemed that a lot of the other young reporters felt the same. The discussions never centred on anything remotely interesting so asking questions never brought up anything that would make for a riveting story.

This was Clark's first time attending one of these press conferences, and he did what every naive rookie reporter did, sitting and listening intently while simultaneously stifling the yawns that came up every minute. He and Lois were sat a few rows from the front amongst the other reporters, with a group of City Hall officials in the front row. Every so often, Mr Tedious fielded questions from the gathered reporters.

For Lois, this particular press conference was a Godsend in that it provided a perfect opportunity to sneak in some much needed shut-eye. The two coffees she'd had this morning had done nothing to alleviate the tiredness. Jimmy having recently moved into the Talon had resulted in late nights, a little fumbling between the sheets with Chloe when they thought Lois was asleep, and a whole lot of snoring. Lois felt like she was living in a bad episode of _Three's Company_ , comparing the noise to a freight train sounding its horn, and try as she might, she couldn't find a way to muffle the sound that didn't involve kicking Jimmy out of the apartment. Smothering him with a pillow as he slept was a very tempting option. She found herself thinking over the idea of finding somewhere else to live.

As Clark listened to Mr Tedious witter on about the authority's plan to improve the roads downtown, he felt a nudge against his shoulder. Glancing across, he realised Lois had fallen asleep on him – her hair tumbling down to cover her face. It occurred to him to nudge her awake but his super-hearing detected the faintest of snores so he knew she was in a deep sleep. He stealthily leaned back in his seat, knowing that he couldn't move. She wasn't as snappy with him as usual, and he could tell she was tired given how frequently she'd been rubbing her eyes or hiding her yawns. She looked so peaceful, he didn't want to disturb her now.

"...8th and Main will be closed to vehicular traffic for 15 weeks, after which the new one-way system will be in operation. 9th Street will also become one-way, joining Main. The Environmental Department study has predicted a 25% cut in harmful emissions in the first 12 months following the change, and we hope to see an immediate improvement in air quality..."

Mr Tedious carried on in a similar fashion for another 10 minutes, which to Clark felt like 10 hours. Lois' left arm had found its way onto his chest with her index finger gently stroking his shirt, and she'd managed to turn her body sideways, snuggling her face into his shoulder. The snoring was becoming a bit more obvious and he wondered whether it was just his super-hearing or whether the people around them had noticed it. Nobody else appeared to be paying much heed so he figured it must just be him.

When Mr Tedious had finally finished talking, he slammed shut the file in front of him so loudly that the microphone in front of him picked up the 'thud', echoing it around the auditorium. The sound was sure to wake up anyone who was asleep. Like Lois for example.

Lois sprang back up with a start, releasing an unintended snort that both startled the people sitting nearby and caused heads to turn in her direction. She blinked her sleepy eyes, looking around to work out where she was. She could see the wood-panelling of the auditorium and knew immediately that she was at yet another yawner of a press conference. She slowly turned her eyes from side to side, becoming aware that all eyes were on her. It took her a second longer to figure out that her head hadn't been resting on a cushion, but rather the firm yet comfortable shoulder of her reporting partner.

As embarrassing as the situation undoubtedly was, what really made the blush creep up her cheeks was seeing the looking on his face. Clark looked as amused as the reporters beside him, and he was holding a paper napkin in his hand as if offering it to her. It was then that she noticed her left hand was still resting on Clark's chest. She cleared her throat and removed it immediately, eyes now wide open. Shrinking down into her seat, her attention fell on the wet patch on Clark's shoulder.

Lois was mortified. Not only had she properly fallen asleep at the press conference, she'd used Clark as a cushion, rested her hand on his chest and then drooled on his shoulder. _This is not happening!_ She quickly grabbed the napkin and wiped her chin before sweeping it over Clark's shoulder to mop up the drool. Throughout, Clark simply watched her with intrigue bordering on amusement.

Soon afterwards, the conference was over and the reporters all got up and made their way to the exit, many on their phones to relay the crux of the matter to their office. Lois avoided eye contact with Clark, serving only to amuse him even more.

"Lois, are you alright?" he asked as he kept up pace with her hastily retreating form.

She stopped and looked at him sheepishly. There was really no way to hide her embarrassment. She evidently slobbered like a dog in her sleep.

"Um...about what happened in there. I'm just a little tired."

"Bad night?"

"You could say that. It's getting a little crowded in the apartment and I'm finding it hard to get any shut-eye."

Before he knew he'd even uttered the words, he found himself beginning to offer Lois a place to stay at the farm. He hadn't finished his sentence but Lois knew where this was going and headed him off at the pass. She'd found herself becoming increasingly comfortable around him – quite literally only a few minutes ago – and she was worried about what it might mean. Clark already cut an extremely dashing figure in his figure-hugging shirt and tie, and Lois knew she wasn't the only one in the office to have given him the once over. He was beginning to appeal to her in ways she wasn't yet ready for. The idea of staying at the farm wasn't a bad one, and it could be a very handy temporary solution, but she needed to gather her thoughts.

"Smallville, do you really want me living under the same roof again? You remember how things were, right?"

Clark thought about it. She certainly had her annoying traits but he noticed that ever since she'd got herself a permanent job as a reporter at the Daily Planet, she had mellowed her rough edges considerably. Her life experiences since her last stay at the farm must have changed her outlook too. Her outspoken nature would probably never change, but the military brat know-it-all attitude was conspicuous by its absence. All in all, it was a solution that could suit them both. For her, it was a place to stay with none of the issues she faced over at the Talon, and for him it would take some of the loneliness out of the farmhouse.

"I'm used to things drooling when they sleep so it wouldn't be much of a change!" he snarked good-naturedly.

Lois grinned. "Are you comparing me to Shelby?"

Clark grinned back as he opened the door, letting Lois out first. "Of course not. Shelby only drools on his own bed!"

He had already walked off as Lois watched on in surprise. He was getting cockier and more confident when he was around her, and on reflection, working with him was going to be a lot of fun. It was unlikely she'd be dozing off, that's for sure.

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 **FIN.**


End file.
